The purpose of this study is to understand the current status of food insecurity in Korea and the US and to compare the relationship of food insecurity with nutrient intake and depression. Data from the 2014 Korea and the 2013–2014 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were analyzed, and a total of 3102 Korean and 3234 American adults aged 20–64 years were included. Study subjects were classified into three groups according to degree of food insecurity assessed by the 18-item Household Food Security Survey Module: food secure (FS), mildly food insecure (FI 1), and moderately-to-severely food insecure (FI 2) groups. Energy and nutrient intake were assessed using a 24-h dietary recall. Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) screener. The prevalence of food insecurity was 17.2% in Korea and 26.4% in the US. In both countries, the people in the FI 2 group had lower incomes and education levels and were mostly single. Energy and nutrient intake differed by food insecurity status. In both Korea and the US, adults with moderate-to-severe food insecurity (FI 2) consumed fewer proteins, fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. Additionally, the FI 2 groups had higher proportions of people not meeting the Dietary Reference Intake for protein, potassium, niacin, and vitamin C than the FS groups in Korea and the US. FI 2 people were three times more likely to be depressed than FS group; this difference was stronger in Korea than the US. We found that the prevalence of food insecurity was higher in the US than in Korea, and food insecurity was associated with reduced nutrient intake and increased odds of depression in both Korean and US adults. Therefore, food insecurity is an important public health issue at both the individual and national levels. Continuous monitoring and new intervention activities to promote food security are needed.

This study aimed to identify major dietary patterns associated with abdominal obesity in middle-aged and older Korean adults. Data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study were used. A total of 48,037 Korean adults aged ≥40 years without abdominal obesity at baseline were followed-up. Dietary assessment was conducted using a validated 106-item food-frequency questionnaire, and dietary patterns were identified using factor analysis. Abdominal obesity was defined as a waist circumference of ≥90 cm for men and ≥85 cm for women, according to the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity. Multivariable Cox proportional-hazards models were used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the future risk of abdominal obesity for each dietary pattern after adjusting for potential covariates. After an average follow-up of 4.89 years, we reported 5878 cases (1932 men and 3946 women) of abdominal obesity. Based on factor analysis, three major dietary patterns were identified in both men and women: the “healthy”, “coffee and sweets”, and “multi-grain” patterns. In the fully adjusted model, the “healthy” pattern was inversely associated with the incidence of abdominal obesity (HR for fourth vs. first quartile: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.75–0.98; p for trend = 0.0358 for men; HR for fourth vs. first quartile: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.83–0.99; p for trend = 0.0188 for women), whereas the “coffee and sweets” pattern was positively associated with it (HR for fourth vs. first quartile: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.08–1.40; p for trend = 0.0495 for men; HR for fourth vs. first quartile: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.04–1.25; p for trend = 0.0096 for women). In contrast, the “multi-grain” pattern in men and women showed no significant association with the incidence of abdominal obesity. Diets rich in colorful vegetables, seaweeds, mushrooms, tubers, fruits, soy products, and fish and low in coffee, sweets, and oils/fats might be favorable for reducing the future risk of abdominal obesity, particularly in middle-aged and older Korean adults.

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to examine the association between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and obesity in Korean adults. Methods: Data from the 2019 to 2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. Dietary intake and UPF consumption were assessed using the NOVA food classification based on 24 h recall data from 9662 participants (aged 19–64 years). The participants were divided into three groups based on the tertile of UPF intake. Obesity was defined as a body mass index of ≥25 kg/m². Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) after controlling for potential confounders. Results: Of the participants, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women. Men consumed more UPFs daily (401.3 g) than women (260.1 g; p < 0.0001). Among the various categories of ultra-processed foods, ‘soft drinks, fruit and vegetable drinks’ were the most frequently consumed by both men and women, with men showing a notably higher intake than women. Compared to the lowest quartile of UPF intake, the highest tertile was significantly associated with obesity in men (AOR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.05–1.55; p for trend = 0.0003). Conclusions: This study suggests that a high intake of UPFs is associated with increased odds of obesity in men. Further research is needed to elucidate the specific negative health effects of UPFs in different populations, and targeted efforts should promote healthy diets for both men and women.

Background/Objectives: The rising prevalence of mental health disorders among adolescents underscores the need for early intervention. Of concern is the increasing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and high-caffeine drinks, which may adversely affect adolescent mental health. This study examined their association with stress perception, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and loneliness among Korean adolescents. Methods: Data were derived from the 2022 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a nationally representative dataset comprising 51,850 Korean adolescents aged 12–18 years. Beverage consumption frequency was categorized into three groups: none, 1–4 times per week, and ≥5–6 times per week. Logistic regression models were employed to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for mental health conditions, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Compared with non-consumers, adolescents who consumed SSBs ≥5–6 times per week exhibited significantly higher odds of stress perception (AOR 1.35, 95% CI 1.24–1.46), depressive symptoms (AOR 1.32, 95% CI 1.19–1.46), suicidal ideation (AOR 1.23, 95% CI 1.09–1.39), and loneliness (AOR 1.44, 95% CI 1.28–1.61). Similarly, frequent consumption of high-caffeine drinks (≥5–6 times per week) was associated with increased odds of stress perception (AOR 2.13, 95% CI 1.99–2.29), depressive symptoms (AOR 1.75, 95% CI 1.62–1.88), suicidal ideation (AOR 2.04, 95% CI 1.86–2.24), and loneliness (AOR 1.72, 95% CI 1.59–1.87). Conclusions: Frequent consumption of SSBs and high-caffeine drinks is significantly associated with adverse mental health outcomes among Korean adolescents. Given the increasing intake of these beverages, targeted public health interventions are warranted to mitigate their potential negative impact on adolescent mental well-being.

이승재, et al. Korean J Community Nutr. 2024 Feb;29(1):51-64. https://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2024.29.1.51

As digital technologies and food environments evolve, ensuring children’s food safety has become a pressing public health priority. This study examines how the policy discourse on children’s dietary safety in Korea has shifted over time by applying Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling to news articles from 2010 to 2024. Using a large-scale news database (BigKinds), the analysis identifies seven key themes that have emerged across five phases of the national Comprehensive Plans for Safety Management of Children’s Dietary Life. These include experiential education, data-driven policy approaches, safety-focused meal management, healthy dietary environments, nutritional support for children’s growth, customized safety education, and private-sector initiatives. A significant increase in digital keywords—such as “big data” and “artificial intelligence”—highlights a growing emphasis on data-oriented policy tools. By capturing the evolving language and priorities in food safety policy, this study provides new insights into the digital transformation of public health governance and offers practical implications for adaptive and technology-informed policy design.